by Dawn Brower
“Are you playing or not, Shelby?” Prince Luca Dragomir glared at him over his cards. “Or are you going to stare at your cards the rest of the evening.”
Gregory lifted a brow allowing his indifference to be quite clear, then with elaborate care, he picked a card and set it firmly on the table. “I believe that’s the match gentleman.” They all cursed and threw the rest of their cards on the table.
“You have all the bloody luck,” the Duke of Ashley mumbled. A strand of his golden blond hair fell over his forehead, and he quickly pushed it back. “I can’t wait until something brings you down low.”
“It’ll be more accurate to state we cannot wait until he meets a lady that will turn his world upside down.” The prince replied and then sneered. “Perhaps we should place a wager on it.”
Gregory lifted is lips into a cocky half smile. “Do as you feel you must, but I’d save your funds. I’m never marrying or falling in love. I’ll leave that fate to you saps.” He stood and nodded at them all. “Now, if you’ll pardon me, I must check on my sister.”
He didn’t intend to do anything of the sort, but it sounded like a likely excuse for departing. They wouldn’t believe him if he said he was developing a sad case of ennui.
Prince Luca brushed a hand through his dark hair, smoothing it back. “It’ll be even more satisfying when you fall.” He turned to the duke. “A hundred quid he’ll meet her before the season ends.” Shelby held back from rolling his eyes. The prince would have to return home sometime. He returned to England so his wife could visit her family.
The duke chuckled. “You don’t have a lot of faith in that wager if you’re only betting one hundred quid. I’ll raise you and say one hundred pounds that he’s already met her. Though I doubt he has realized it yet.”
The prince held out his hand to the duke. “I accept.” Then he turned and met Gregory’s gaze. “Do you wish to bet on yourself?”
Gregory’s smile was all teeth when he lifted his lips. “As a rule, I don’t make bad bets. Not everyone desires wedded bliss. Go home to your wives and be happy they deign to suffer your company.” He spun on his heels to leave the two gentlemen alone. He didn’t have time for their nonsense. Let them make their wagers. What did he care?
He turned the corner and nearly knocked a lady to the ground. He reached out and placed his arms around her waist and pulled her upright before she tumbled downward. He hadn’t seen her face, but what he’d been able to feel…was…bloody hell. He shouldn’t be noticing anything about a lady at the Loxton ball. That would lead him nowhere. Unless she was an unhappily married matron or widow... Then he could charm his way into her bed.
Gregory glanced up with a hopeful gaze and his heart sank low. This was one lady he had to keep his hands off of. If he did anything remotely untoward, he’d find himself in front of a parson faster than he could blink. Harrington would have his head. “Lady Kaitlin. Please accept my apologies. I should have been watching where I stepped.”
He blinked several times. When had she turned into a fetching beauty? He’d done his best to never fully pay any attention to her. Now he wished he hadn’t taken the time to really look at her. She had gorgeous golden hair and brilliant blue eyes. Her face was…perfect. Delicate and heart-shaped with delectable, quite kissable, pink lips. He mentally shook that thought away. He would not be putting his lips anywhere near hers.
“It’s all right, Lord Shelby,” she said demurely. “No one notices me.”
“What?” He let go of her once he was certain she was steady on her feet. “Don’t be ridiculous. Trust me, they notice you. Otherwise, they’re all blind.” Like he’d been…
She smiled and it lit up her entire face. She was so bloody beautiful… He had to put some distance between them and fast. He would not be seducing an innocent miss. It wasn’t done. “You do not need to be kind. I’m a wallflower, and I’ve accepted that.”
He frowned. Gregory didn’t like her talking in such a disparaging tone about herself. “Why do you believe this?”
“I’m on my fourth season. It’s enough evidence at my failure to be remarkable.” She shrugged lightly. “I doubt I could change anything now.”
“Perhaps you haven’t met the right gentleman?”
“Or perhaps I already have, but he’s too preoccupied to notice I exist,” she answered. “Don’t fret about something that is unchangeable.”
Gregory hated that she believed any of this about herself. He wished there was a way to bolster how she perceived herself. There were only so many things Gregory could do, and he wasn’t about to ask for her hand. “That doesn’t mean I must like any of it. I wish I could make a difference in some fashion.”
She tilted her head to the side. “Why would you want to? I’m no one to you.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he chastised her. “You’re my sister’s closest friend…or at least one of them. I’d like to think that we are at the very least acquaintances, maybe more than that if you’d allow it.” He hadn’t meant to say that last bit aloud. He mentally cursed himself for letting those words spill out of his mouth.
“There you go being kind again, my lord,” Lady Kaitlin said softly. “I do like the idea of you as a friend. As my friend, do you think you could help me with one small thing?”
“Of course,” he answered readily, wanting to assist her in any way he could. He’d never felt so useless. Her serenity soothed him where he’d been restless before crossing paths with her.
She bit down on her lips plumping them even more. He nearly groaned at the sight. She glanced away. “Never mind. Forget I asked anything.”
“No,” he said. “I insist. Tell me what you need.”
Why did she feel as if she couldn’t ask him for aid now? He wanted her to trust him. Gregory didn’t even understand why now.
“I shouldn’t,” she began her voice a little wobbly as she spoke. “It’s that… I never…”
“What?” he asked.
“Kiss me,” she said softly, and he nearly jerked away at her words. It was almost as if she’d read his mind. Surely she understood why they couldn’t… Especially not here, in the hall between the ballroom and the card room—anyone could walk in on them, and then… He’d be trapped.
Chapter 4
Kaitlin swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. She glanced up into the Earl of Shelby’s normally cold blue eyes. His gaze usually froze her in place, but something was different today. They burned. It set ablaze within her a need she hadn’t known existed. She blamed that desire on the words she’d blurted out.
Kiss me...
What had she been thinking? Clearly, she’d lost all ability to employ proper etiquette. A lady did not ask a gentleman to kiss her. Especially not a notable rake... That request begged him to ruin her, and heaven help her—she’d gladly risk everything for one kiss from him.
“Please forget I asked.” She fought tears as she attempted to move past him and failed. Kaitlin stumbled, and he caught her before she hit the ground.
“You really need to stop falling at my feet. It might give me the wrong impression.” His tone was light and mischievous.
Was he mocking her? How mortifying… Kaitlin couldn’t look at him again because she might lose control of her emotions if she did. She was such a fool. She kept her face averted away from his as she spoke. “Thank you, my lord.” She pushed away from him, but he held her close.
“Why do you wish for me to kiss you?”
Because he was handsome, charming, and she’d loved him from afar for more years than she could recall. “Because I’d like to understand to…experience what it feels like at least once.”
“You don’t think your eventual husband can share that with you?” He lifted her chin and forced her to meet his gaze. “Shouldn’t he have that right? To teach you what a kiss can do.”
She shook her head defiantly. “That mythical man has yet to appear, and I’m tired of waiting. I’ve decided this will be my last season.
If you won’t do it, I’ll find someone else more willing.”
She wouldn’t, but it sounded good. Perhaps it would inspire him to give her what she wished for. His mouth on hers—it might not be as passionate as it could be. He didn’t truly desire her. No man had shown any signs they did, and a rogue of Shelby’s caliber had more options than most.
“You’ll do no such thing.” His nostrils flared a bit as he clearly seethed with barely contained temper. Kaitlin tried to take a step back, but he wouldn’t allow it. He kept her at his side with his arm looped around her. If only she hadn’t almost fallen… “You need a husband, and lucky for you, I’m willing to help you find one.”
“I don’t require your assistance.” She would not let this man find her a husband. That would be a blow her heart couldn’t withstand.
“I must disagree.” He pulled her flush against his hard body. Her heart raced in her chest. She’d never been this close to a man. Kaitlin wanted to be even closer. Heat filled her cheeks, and her female parts nearly throbbed with a need she didn’t understand. Shelby lowered his head until their noses nearly touched. All he had to do was move a little more, and he’d be able to press his lips to hers. Kaitlin’s breath hitched as she waited for him to close the distance, but he didn’t kiss her. “You definitely need a keeper. Ladies don’t ask notorious rakes to kiss them. Not innocent ones anyway, or are you more experienced then I’ve been led to believe?”
“I…” she stumbled over the words. “I’ve never been kissed. Is it so bad to want one? Or am I never to feel anything? I will be a spinster soon, and I wished for one small thing.” She licked her lips, and he groaned. Perhaps he wasn’t so unaffected as he pretended to be. “It’s unfortunate that I’ve disgusted you with the idea of a kiss, but you need not concern yourself. I’m certain another gentleman will find me appealing. I’m not that unpleasant.”
“I already told you that is out of the question. You will not go around London asking every eligible gentleman or rogue to kiss you. That would be scandalous.”
She lifted a brow. “Well, I suppose you would understand a scandal far better than anyone.”
“Everything I’ve done is above reproach. No one…”
“Would dare gossip about you?” Her lips tilted upward into an uninhibited smile. “Now who is being obtuse? The entire ton discusses your prowess in the, uh, bedchamber. I’m innocent, not deaf.”
Horror spread over his face. What did he think all the ladies discussed behind closed doors? The weather? “Ladies…”
“Are the worst gossips,” she interrupted him. “They don’t have any compunction about keeping their dalliances quiet. Especially the ones that have visited your bed.” She’d had mixed feelings listening or rather eavesdropping on those conversations. Kaitlin had never known jealousy until she’d heard in detail how the Earl of Shelby was a wonderful lover. She had wanted to scratch the bragging ladies’ eyes out.
Not long after that, it had become a game amongst Shelby’s conquests. They would share tales about their night with him, determined to be the lady he would choose to come back to for another night of passion. Shelby didn’t visit a lady’s bed twice. That had been the one thing that eased her jealousy. He didn’t love any of them. They had been nothing more than a convenience. “Now, if you’ll let me go, I’ll leave you alone. I would hate to take too much of your time.”
“We’re not done,” he insisted. “We still need to discuss your penchant for propositioning scoundrels.”
Kaitlin sighed. “I promise all the gentleman at the ball are free from my unwanted attentions. At least for tonight... You don’t need to keep me company.”
“That’s not encouraging.” He leaned down so his mouth brushed against her ear. “But as I said, you’re in luck. I am going to help you whether you like it or not.”
“Why are you being so difficult? I’ve given you plenty of reasons to let this be.” She closed her eyes and reveled in his closeness. She might never have his arms around her again. It was a conundrum. She wanted to run and pull him closer at the same time.
He stepped back and she immediately felt the loss. She’d been warm, and now her body felt as if it had lost something essential to its survival. She wanted him to move back to her. Hold her. Love her.
“Because you’re a dear friend to my sister. She would want you to find happiness.” He frowned. “I’m not being difficult. You’re the one not seeing what a gift my assistance would be for you.”
He wasn’t wrong. Samantha did want her to find love. To finally fall in love and discover true happiness… Both Samantha and her cousin Marian hoped she’d find it. Kaitlin was more practical. She wanted a moment of passion. That had been what prompted her to ask Shelby to kiss her. If she was only going to have one kiss, she wanted it to be a good one, and there was no other man she believed could make her feel even an ounce of wild unrelenting desire. It had to be him or no one, but she wasn’t going to tell him that. The man already had an overinflated ego. “Pardon me if I don’t find your offer to be appealing. Don’t strain yourself for me.”
“It’s not like that. You’re making it sound as if it is a chore. Trust me it wouldn’t be.”
Being near him and not having him? That had been torturous for quite a while now. Even when it had seemed as if Asthey might court her, she never stopped hoping Shelby would notice her. He was always polite. Samantha pushed him and he made biting comments to her, but that was more or less sibling bickering. Kaitlin never doubted that Shelby adored his sister. “It would be more difficult for me if you decided to find me a husband.” She folded her arms over her chest. “Correct me if I am incorrect, or did you not dissuade all the eligible gentleman that it would be to their best interest to not court your sister.”
“That’s different. They don’t deserve her.”
“Is that so?” She lifted a brow and seethed inside. “But I do?”
His eyes widened briefly, and then he shook his head. For a moment, he had looked…stunned. As if he couldn’t believe she’d dare to question his words and actions. “That’s not what I meant…” He slid his hand over his dark locks with agitation. “I’m blundering when I don’t mean to.”
She should take pity on him, but she’d had enough of this conversation. He wanted to find her a husband as a consolation prize. Shelby didn’t want to kiss her, so he was doing what he deemed the next best thing. Finding her a man who might want to instead. “That may be so, but it doesn’t make my concerns any less valid. Any gentleman who believes I am under your protection will give me a wide berth. Your help will not aid me in finding a husband. Add that to my awkwardness during social occasions, and its not a good mix.”
He scrunched his eyebrows together. “I don’t understand why they overlook you. You’re a beautiful woman and should have your pick of the eligible marriage-minded gentleman.” How nice of him. He thought she was pretty enough that she should be able to find a husband. She wouldn’t roll her eyes at him, and she’d at least attempt to hold back the sarcasm from her voice. What she really heard with his words was—you’re not pretty enough for me, and I sure as hell am not marrying anyone, especially you. She wasn’t good enough for the Earl of Shelby. Not even for a pity kiss…
“While I appreciate your kind assessment of my outwardly attributes that oversimplifies the situation. I’m a wallflower. The idea of conversation with someone I’m not familiar with terrifies me. My inability to even make small talk is off-putting. Asking you for anything…” Kaitlin swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. “Especially a kiss.” She shook her head. “You don’t know how difficult that was for me. I doubt you could ever understand what it is like to struggle every day to attend a ball or hold a simple conversation. So don’t you dare pass judgment on me. I don’t need your interpretation of my life.” She’d given up on any chance at marriage. Besides, she didn’t want any other gentleman. If she couldn’t have Shelby, no one else would do. Not even Asthey. Sure, he was handsome enough, b
ut he didn’t make her heart race.
“You need a little push. I can help you with that.”
She blew out a breath. “No. Just no.”
“You must see that a kiss between us wouldn’t do. It’s…wrong.”
That was almost like a slap in the face. She’d suspected he didn’t desire her, but to have it verbally thrown at her. Kaitlin wanted to cry even more than ever. “Certainly,” she replied curtly. “I wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
She turned to leave but he reached for her again. He’d wrapped his hand around her arm and turned her to face him. His gaze was filled with emotions she couldn’t quite identify. “It’s not you, sprite. I’m no good for an innocent. My soul was darkened long ago, and I’d never dirty you with my touch.”
Her heart softened a little at his words. He didn’t deem himself worthy of her, not the other way around. There had to be a way to persuade him against that way of thinking. He was everything she wasn’t. “I’m not brave enough to embroil myself in society any longer. It’s too difficult for me. I could never be the social butterfly that Samantha is.”
“You don’t need to be,” he insisted. “Tell me what gentleman sparks your interest, and I’ll ensure he notices you.”
“I won’t have you browbeat a gentleman into courting me.” She didn’t want anyone other than Shelby, and she wouldn’t dare confess that the man she wanted was him. She didn’t want to see a sympathetic look on his face. She couldn’t handle him knowing the truth.
“I won’t have to.” His lips turned upward into a wicked grin. “The gentlemen leave Samantha alone because I’m her brother, and I made my wishes known. I have a right to make those demands.”